Sometimes we forget that there was a good actor in Christopher Reeves. Depending on the generation, he is seen as Superman or the cause within a wheelchair. In the early 1980s, Reeves was a dashing, talented actor in his role as Richard Collier in Somewhere in Time. He accepted the role despite the low pay and warnings from his agent that it wouldn’t be worth his time. Fresh from his portrayal of Superman, he wanted to avoid a Viking film that he was being pushed towards, so he accepted the gentleman’s role opposite Jane Seymour.

The chemistry between Seymour and Reeves is undeniable electricity in an otherwise modest film of soft tones and gentle gestures. Their on screen kiss is as static and intense as any sex scene and leads to their hazy retreat into a reddened bedroom. Seymour’s delivery of her love profession was enough to move the author to great emotion; so much so that he left the filming to return to his wife of whom Seymour’s character is based on. The greatest distraction from Seymour’s portrayal of Elise McKenna does not come from her acting but from the muffin top that is her hair. She resembles a Nintendo mushroom in fine lace and linen as her character poses on every veranda of the Grand Hotel.

Author and screenwriter Richard Matheson does justice to the historic hotel on Michigan’s Mackinac Island. He and director Jeannot Szwarc were understanding of the restrictions placed on them by the island’s council. Automobiles are not permitted on the island and the actors were only allowed to drive the motorized vehicles when filming Christopher’s present day scenes. Mackinac Island embraced the presence of Reeves and Seymour. During filming, the local theater played Superman as a welcome to Reeves. The cast attended a showing with the locals and Reeves spoke his lines when the sound went out in the theater. The Grand Hotel is considered one of the top twenty-five hotels in the world and is known for its historic guests. Seasoned actor, Bill Erwin, portrays the real caretaker by the same name. Szwarc displays the hotel as-is with local extras and numerous shots of the scenery and dining area.

Time travel films are often cliché and narrow but Matheson bring philosophy and science into this fictional plot. Collier uses meditation and hypnosis to embrace the past he wishes to return to. Susan French plays a small but important elder Elise to provide the audience with foreshadowing. Richard Collier is almost mad with his intent to return to the past he may or may not have been a part of, but Matheson covers details like wardrobe and dated coins in the plot.

Somewhere in Time is a tear jerker for grandmothers and girlfriends, but beyond the grainy shots and yellow hotel awnings is a beautiful plot and collective love story. Modern romance screenwriters could take a page from Richard Matheson. A great writer writes what he knows, and Matheson did that with his telling of Richard and Elise. Nicolas Sparks should take notes from him.

Greatest Line: “I am an actress, Mr. Robinson, not a doormat. Do not attempt to wipe your boots on me.”

Points Lost: Three for the grainy quality of this DVD format. One for the absence of credit to the great supporting actor, Bill Erwin.

Somewhere in Time
6/10

Somewhere in Time (1980) - New DVD Movie Review8.0104

Tags: 1980, bill irwin, Christopher Plummer, christopher reeves, fantasy, jane seymour, jeannot szwarc, latest movie reviews, richard matheson, romance, science fiction, somewhere in time movie review, somewhere in time review, william h. macy